The Balance
by The Charmer
Summary: Did you really believe all those demons would just sit and wait until the slayers killed tehm for good? - Buffy season 8


Title : The Balance  
  
Author : The Charmer  
  
Email address  
  
Webpage address (if any)  
  
Is the story finished? : unfinshed  
  
Fandom : Buffy – spin off – Season 8  
  
Spoilers (if any) :  
  
Rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) : R - so far... Summary : Did you really believe all these demons would  
just sit and wait until the slayers killed them for  
good? Main characters: all known ones and some new  
  
Disclaimer : Denton is mine as well as the plot. Everything else is his  
  
THE BALANCE  
  
Chapter 1: The family  
  
„This is unbearable!!"Father was upset, very upset. If he was like that nobody ever knew what happened next. Best to remain quiet, to be unseen. Of course this wish was in vain. Father could see them, feel them anytime.  
  
He let the body of the young woman fall to the floor. "This is the third of them within three weeks! What the hell is happening here?" He looked around. None of his family could answer his questions. That was for sure. But there were other possibilities and he intended to use them all.  
  
The little witch did everything she could - he was sure of that. Well, she better did – life could be even more unpleasant for her than it was now. "Something happened in the new world." She said without looking at his face. Show submission or this message is going to get you killed, she thought.  
  
"What´s going on?"  
  
The little witch gathered all her wits. His temper hadn´t been that bad in decades. "Something happened. I can feel powerful magic."  
  
He jumped and gripped her hair. He forced her look into his eyes. "Be more specific, witch. Even I can feel magic. What is going on?!"  
  
Before she could answer him a little man appeared out of nowhere. Intruder! Not good! Nobody was allowed in their lair. Father would be beyond upset now. The vampires freaked out. The oldest childe shouted the first warning and the whole family made a move to protect the Sire. Sharp weapons pointed at the little man´s throat and he would have been done if there hadn´t been his voice.  
  
"Stop!", father said. He let go of the witches hair and walked down the last steps. He patted his oldest childe´s shoulder. Reassuring him that there was no danger at the moment and positioned himself in font of the little demon – for a demon he was. Only father wasn´t quite sure whether this little man was on his side or not. For a while he just looked at him, taking him in and thinking about the possibilities he had to deal with this possible threat. Finally he decided to just wait and see what he wanted.  
  
"Whistler - It has been a while." He smirked at the extremely ugly suit this guy was wearing and memories nobody else could see. Finally he turned around and walked back to his throne. "I´m kind of busy at the moment. So say your little speech and disappear."  
  
Whistler just stood there for a little bit longer and looked at the lair. He could see about fifteen minions and three childer. A normal family of vampires. Large enough to push out any intruder from their hunting grounds but not too many to cause problems with the nourishment. A well trained family, too, judging by the speed they showed to protect the sire. Just what he needed. Well, what the Powers needed. He himself despised the very thought of what would happen.  
  
"I know what bothers you." Whistler said. "It´s the slayers, isn´t it. You can smell them?!"  
  
Father leaned back in his seat. This could be interesting and Whistler wasn´t making any threats. He would hear him out. Maybe he could get some answers form this man. The Powers That Be weren´t actually his first choice to get informantion but hell, this was an extreme situation. He gave his minions and childer a sign to take away the weapons. He let them even take away the witch.  
  
"I smell them and feel them. They are everywhere. My family has brought me three within four weeks. Something very strange is going on, Whistler."  
  
"It´s the slayer." Then he realised how stupid this sounded. There were hundreds of them now. "I´m talking about the original one. In the States. You might have heard about her."  
  
Father took the goblet his minion was presenting him. "The one with that stupid name? What about her?"  
  
"Buffy – Yes. She messed up the balance."  
  
Father just looked at him. "The balance?"  
  
Whistler sighed inwardly. Just how could a demon walk earth for four hundred years without knowing about the balance? "You know: In every generation there is a slayer. She alone must stand against the evil and fight ...."  
  
"Bla, bla, bla .. ..of course I know what the balance is! Just how could anybody fucking it up? It was established at the beginning of the world. Nobody can break a spell like that."  
  
"It seems somebody can. And the spell was altered – not broken. In the past there were a lot of girls that had the potential to become a slayer. But only one was chosen each time when the old died. "  
  
"So?"  
  
"A witch – a close friend of the slayer - changed that spell. It appears that suddenly all the girls that only used to be potentials now are slayers."  
  
That made father "All the girls?"  
  
Whistler only nodded.  
  
"But that means there are ..."  
  
"...possibly thousands in the whole world." Whistler sighed. "Not even the Powers know how many there are. Children, girls, women – even infants. All of them were called. The situation got completely out of hand."  
  
Father just looked at him. "Thousands of slayers. – How, the bloody hell, could that happen?! Usually the Powers mess with beings. - But they are not messed with!" He started pacing and Whistler just waited. "Thousands of slayers. That will be the end of us. The end of all demons!"  
  
Whistler sighed. This was the part he hated most. "Well, that´s what the Powers fear as well."  
  
Father growled dangerously. The little demon held up his hands. "This wasn´t their fault. That witch became extraordinary powerful. There has never been a being with her knowledge in eons."  
  
"So why didn´t you stop her?"  
  
"It was never supposed to happen. The slayer had assembled a good number of potentials and trained them for the fight. She was also given an amulet that would enable her champion to end the fight. She would have been successful anyway. – But it seems she was pushed too far by certain incidents. Suddenly she used her brain – which she isn´t really known for. And something nobody expected happened. She made her friend alter the spell. And voilá thousands of slayers." Whistler shrugged and suddenly felt the hard floor under his back. Father was sitting on his chest.  
  
"Yes, and just like that all demons are condemned to hell. Just great. I think I will send the Powers a little message. A blind for the blind - and that message will be you – little Whistler."  
  
"Wait!" the little man screamed. "That´s not all. That´s why I´m here!" Father held a knife to his throat. "Spill it." "The Powers aren´t satisfied with the situation either. They grant you one to make things right."  
  
"Which means what?"  
  
Whistler screamed as the blade pierced his skin. "They give you a slayer." The blade stopped.  
  
"A slayer! - Quiet!" He shouted at the family. "I will get a slayer?"  
  
"Yes. She will be part of your family. – But you cannot turn her." The blade approached his throat again.  
  
"How could that save us?"  
  
Whistler gathered his wits. "Let go of me and I tell you the deal."  
  
Slowly father let go of him. Never taking his eyes from the demon. He nodded his childer and they even helped the little man to his feet. Whistler brushed imaginary dirt from his suit and took a deep unneeded breath. That had been close. He watched father sitting down on his throne. A minion put a chair behind him and he was pushed into it.  
  
"The deal – let´s hear about it."  
  
Whistler knew if father didn´t like the deal, he would hardly get out of here.  
  
"You get one of the slayers. She will be part of your family. So you will be able to control her - to a certain extend. The Powers will give you a magical device for her. It will collect the strength from the other slayers that will be killed and lead into her."  
  
"So in the end I will have a superslayer."  
  
Whistler nodded. Father thought about this for a moment.  
  
"There are two details that make me hesitate, dear friend. – First you cannot kill a slayer so easily. If there are thousands running around, they will kill us much sooner than we can kill them, right?"  
  
Whistler sadly shook his head. "These Slayers aren´t trained. They have no Watchers – the council is nearly wiped out – so they don´t know what´s going on. You must have noticed that these girls", he pointed at the corpse still lying in the corner," didn´t have clue of what was going on when you attacked them. They will be easy enough to kill. As for the slayers that were trained by the original one... This amulet you will receive collects the strength of fallen slayers. As small as this power will be from one of them - untrained as they are – added up by thousands and taught by you she will be a match in no time. You will get the ultimate weapon. If everything goes as planned - and this time the Powers will see to it – there will be only your slayer and the old one in the end. They will fight just like in this movie and in the end - there can be only one."  
  
It was done. The message was delivered. He had condemned thousands of slayers to death and one to something much worse.  
  
This deal was very tempting. Father tried to find the other detail that disturbed him. "You said I couldn´t turn her. How can she be a member of my family if she isn´t one of us?"  
  
"You have a witch at your service. She does what you want and still she is not a vampire."  
  
Father grinned. Indeed, there were a lot of ways to make humans do what demons wanted and usually the demons enjoyed them much more than the humans.  
  
Whistler knew exactly what the vampire was thinking about. In this very second he decided to change the message of the Powers. Just a little. But maybe he could save the poor girl that would be his slayer at least some pain. It was against the rules and probably he would pay for it later but he just had to do it.  
  
"There is something you should consider, though."  
  
Father stopped grinning. "What?!"  
  
"This slayer of yours will grow into a powerful being. She will probably be more powerful than any other slayer before her. Do you really want to torture her? Humans that hate tend to turn against their masters. – You should consider seducing her instead of breaking the girl."  
  
Again, father was quiet. Whistler had a point there. But hell, if there was anybody who could bend a slayer to his will, it was him. "We have a deal" , he said, a wolfish smile on his face.  
  
"Fine. As soon as you have made your choice, I will be there to give you the magical device. Your witch will know how to call me." With a little bow he disappeared.  
  
Father sat back in his throne. He started brooding about the possibilities he had now. The family remained quiet. They knew well not to disturb the Sire in such a state of mind. If you weren´t careful, stakes would fly without further warning.  
  
Finally he started to laugh. "Childer! Watch out! You will get a new sister! – Bring me a drink, Denton." His fist childe stepped up, kneeling to his sire´s side and offered him the refilled goblet.  
  
"Denton. You will go and see your grandchilde in Germany. Sophie and Antony will travel to our family in the north and find as many slayers as they can. Bring only one or two of them. You know what I am looking for, don´t you." He took a sip and changed the position on his seat because he was getting a little uncomfortable between his legs. "I want a young slayer, Denton. – Young minds are easier to seduce and to control. Bring me a good- looking one, childe, and you can have her occasionally."  
  
Chapter 2: Her  
  
Denton sat back and watched the line of girls that his grandchilde had captured. There were no less than seven of them. He felt slightly uncomfortable. Holy shit, so many existed. If they knew and worked together, no family would have a chance against that force. Demons would be wiped from this dimension for good. He shrugged. That would never happen! He would find the perfect slayer for his master - and be rewarded. Maybe he would even be allowed to entertain himself with the minions. Maybe he would be allowed his own family. Hell, concentrate, man and get this job done!  
  
He heard loud music from the disco downstairs. The fact that it was run by his grandchilde had made the search for the slayer so much easier. Girls liked to dance...  
  
"Master", on of the minions stepped a little closer, submissively. "These are the girls we have found so far. Would you like to take a look."  
  
Denton rose from the soft couch and walked along the line. Some slayers were rather young – 15 at the most, he guessed. But slayers never the less and so the enemy. He didn´t really like the idea of accepting one of them into the family. But he didn´t really have a choice, did he?  
  
Three of them must have been captured for quite a while. They had already been bitten and looked pale, thin and broken. Not slayerish at all. Father wouldn´t appreciate that. Another two were not really that pretty. Too flat in his opinion. But the other two he liked a lot. One of them was blond with hair that floated down on her back and if she hadn´t been so dirty she would have looked like an angel. Of course she was afraid. He walked a little closer and held her chin up. Twenty at the most. Yes, she was a beauty and that lovely smell of hers – all fear and just a little hint of anger. Just lovely! Oh, wait. What was that? He turned around and eyed the seventh girl. No, not really a girl anymore. That one was a woman! About 28, he guessed and her eyes sparked with hate. A minion saw that offensive look and punched her hard. She fell on her knees, holding her stomach. Denton could see how hard she fought not so throw up. Another kick followed and this time she fell on her back. Blood was running down her nose.  
  
Hmmmm. Yummie. Slayerblood. Denton´s eyes rolled up at the combined smell of blood and fear. He was hardly able to talk but the minions had paid attention and shoved the slayergirls out of the room. "That one´s for the father. Prepare her. I´ll take her with me - later."  
  
Then they were alone. He could smell her fear rising and that sight of her still lying on the floor was making him hard. Oh yes, a little bit of fun with that bint would do him well. Father hadn´t allowed too much of that lately. Took al the slayers for himself.... He watched her crawling away from him, watched like a cat watch the mouse. "Let´s play", he said and the woman screamed when he turned into gameface and jumped on top of her.  
  
She struggled and tried to push him away and for a little while he let her think she could have a chance. But finally he was getting a little bored. That bint didn´t use an ounce of slayerstrength. Where was the fun? So he took her by the neck and effectively pushing her up against the wall. She could only sob and whimper but he didn´t hear her beg, yet. He licked her slowly along her throat and rubbed his aching dick at her thigh. Maybe he should take that way, too. Usually, he just fed of humans, but this one, ...  
  
"You know what", he whispered in her ear, "I´ll take my time. You smell too sweet to be just food." He shout her mouth with his and muffled her scream.  
  
"Master, please." A minion bowed very deeply behind him. "There is trouble downstairs. My Sire thinks it would be safer for us to leave now."  
  
"Now?!" Denton broke the kiss.  
  
"Yes, Sire. The police is here. They are looking for the girls. You must go at one – or they will capture you."  
  
"Did you kill the slayers?"  
  
"Yes, sire. Except the one you chose for the Father. – She is waiting for you in the car. But you must hurry."  
  
"What a shame." He looked back at the woman. "No time for that, baby. Maybe I see you in your next life." He bit into her throat and ah glory – slayerblood flooded into his mouth. So good. His eyes crossed and he stumbled to the ground, still holding on to her, sucking the life out of her. Slowly Denton came back to his senses. He hear the minion telling to make it quick. From an even further distance he heard guns. And then he heard her whispering. It might have been louder before, but she lost strength quickly. He hardly understood her murmurs and concentrated. "... to share one life and death", she said. Uhm – What? He listened closely now.  
  
"This bond is forged - with lust and blood to share one life and death."  
  
He smelled something new on her: relief.  
  
Oh shit! He let go of her as if she was poison. No bloody way! "What did you say, you bitch!?"  
  
The minion pulled him up – insisting it was time to go.  
  
"So you think you´re a witch?!" He made an attempt to kick her but suddenly he was surrounded by his grandchilde and a lot of minion. They pushed him out of the room, down a stairway and the last thing Denton could see, was the slayer holding her throat and smiling at something only she could see.  
  
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Father looked at him. "Childe, what´s the matter with you?" He patted Denton´s face. "You did well. I am very pleased with your slayer. Go and celebrate with your family." Denton didn´t move. Father gripped him by the neck. Why are you brooding, Denton? Are you still concerned about that little girl and her spell."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Do you feel any different?"  
  
Denton shook his head.  
  
"So, you see – nothing to worry about. – If there was a bond between you and that girl you would feel."  
  
"Yes, Sire." Denton nodded not very convinced, though. He couldn´t stop thinking about her or was it thinking of her? That was really scary. "Sire, I ask permission to go back and kill her. I should have done it the other night but there wasn´t enough time."  
  
Father leaned back. "No, childe. You do not get that permission. You are to stay here. They are looking for you there now and I don´t want to lose my favourite. – Now stop worrying and celebrate. I think your sister Sophie has a very special present for you ..." Father laughed. "She is waiting for you in her bedroom", and pushed him to the door.  
  
interlude: In the meantime  
  
Buffy sighed. Yes, that was it. Finally, they had found themselves a new home. Well, not really home. Home was destroyed and would never be there again. This was only a base for her – right on top of another hellmouth. History repeated – Time would reveal.  
  
The house seemed huge. They had told her it had enough rooms for all of them and a nice library and a big living-room, not to mention many baths and even a sauna and a nice and big garden. Of course, at the moment you could only guess how nice it was. A thick layer of snow covered the whole area. Cleveland in winter, she sighed again. Why on earth wasn´t the hellmouth in Florida? She shivered. It was freezing and she couldn´t wait to get inside. She hoped for the others that there would be a cup of hot coffee waiting for her.  
  
Willow opened the door before she could even touch the doorbell. The witch smiled broadly. "Hi, Buffy. I´ve been waiting for you..." Her smile grew even bigger when she watched Buffy´s face while her friend stepped into the house for the first time. "Wow...", was everything she could manage. The house looked nice from the outside but it was nothing compared to what she saw now.  
  
The hall had an oval shape and lead the way to a wooden stairway that parted halfway up. To the left and to the right there were doors. "Nice, isn´t it? The previous owners believed there was a poltergeist in the house and they were very keen on getting rid of it. They didn´t even want to take the furniture."  
  
Buffy slowly walked to the left door. It was slightly open and she could see a warm fire in a big fireplace and very cosy looking couches in front of it. A dream come true. The perfect home.  
  
"It really looks great, Will. It ´s the perfect house."  
  
"I hoped you would like it. Xander and I looked at so many buildings and then we found this one."  
  
"It must have cost a fortune, "Buffy said, looking at the huge windows and the heavy furniture.  
  
"Well, yes, of course it wasn´t cheap – but since Giles said money didn´t matter anymore, we thought we could find ourselves a nice home."  
  
"Money doesn't matter..." Buffy mumbled thinking about the times she had to work at that awful double meat palace to keep the house and feed them all.  
  
"Giles said, since the council and the watchers didn´t exist anymore the money belonged to the slayers. So we transferred it to another account and now we are rich. Isn´t that great?"  
  
Buffy only nodded. "Where is Giles?"  
  
"Oh he is taking the new slayers to a dream seeking trip."  
  
"In winter?"  
  
"Well, they went to New Mexico for it. Shouldn´t be too bad there."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Willow remained quiet for a moment, not knowing how she could ask what she needed to ask. "How are you?"  
  
Buffy tried to get up, "I´m fine," but Willow took her arm in time to prevent her from fleeing.  
  
"No, Buffy, please? – We haven´t had time yet to talk about what happened in Sunnydale. Talk to me, please. Like we used to do."  
  
Buffy didn´t answer. She just stared at her hands. "What happened in Sunnydale... We prevented another apocalypse. – And I killed my lover." The last words had been only a whisper.  
  
"Oh, Buffy, I´m...."  
  
"No!" Buffy screamed. She jumped. "Stop. Don´t say you´re sorry! Don´t say you know how I feel. I can´t hear that anymore!"  
  
"But I..."  
  
"Do you really think you know how I feel?!" Buffy yelled. "We fought and again we prevented another apocalypse but do we get a reward?! NO! Instead, I lose everything! My house, friends and the only person - who really loved me..." She fell on her knees, sobbing into her hands.  
  
Willow sat stunned. She hadn´t expected her to feel so miserable. "Buffy, we all love you. We all need you." She touched her friends back in comfort but Buffy pushed her hands away.  
  
"No! You don´t need me! Just look at this house! And none of you could every understand me like he did." She said rocking her body. "He knew me – and accepted me. My weakness - AND I KILLED HIM!"  
  
Sobs.  
  
"Why do you say that? You saved us all..."  
  
"I left him!" Buffy wailed. "I left him when he needed me most! He died for me! - I killed him..."  
  
Willow felt so helpless. Her friend was beyond comfort. Nothing she said or did could help her at this point. So she just crawled next to her and held her in her arms. Rocking Buffy, trying to show her she wasn´t as alone as she felt right now.  
  
Chapter 4: About bonds  
  
Several weeks had passed since the incident in the discotheque. Weeks of pain and fear.  
  
She felt watched - especially when it was dark – but every time she turned around there was nobody there. The psychiatrist said it was a normal reaction after what she had been through and it would pass – eventually. It didn´t relax her a bit.  
  
At first, some police officers had been ordered to stay at her apartment. You never knew if the killers didn´t come back to finish her. They had killed all the other girls, hadn´t they. But weeks passed and nothing happened. The police left. She could always call them if there was need... And of course, they hadn´t found out anything. The fingerprints and traces in the club didn´t help them. Obviously, none of the kidnappers had had contact with any authorities before. Which was really strange if you thought about it. Eventually, there were no more leads and the case had to be dropped.  
  
Physically she recovered quickly from the torment and the extreme blood loss. Actually, the doctors in hospital were astonished how quickly - and they send her home. Because of her state of mind she didn´t have to go to work for the time being. It sounded nice – nothing to do and sleeping in – if only she could sleep. Insomnia tormented her and if she finally fell asleep she dreamed of him. Dreams that felt so real. He called her name, told her to come to him, to be with him! The worst thing was that in her dreams she wanted to be with him. She longed for his touch, needed it and every time she woke up the hole inside of her had become a little bigger.  
  
"Do you feel any different?" Father had asked and his answer had been NO. But actually he did feel something. In the beginning it was just a slight sting and Denton had blamed the fact that he should have killed that slayer. Then the weeks passed - but the feeling didn´t leave. In contrary, sometimes - actually every time he concentrated – he was able to feel her more and more. He started to have daydreams - about her! Something that had never happened in his whole unlife!  
  
"Denton!" He didn´t see the boot coming and it hit him hard in the stomach.  
  
"Childe, you try my patience. I´ve been calling you five times and you don´t seem to need to answer me!"  
  
Denton tried to ignore the pain and kneeled on the floor. "I´m sorry, Sire. I didn´t mean to upset you."  
  
Father eyed him. "You were dreaming again, weren´t you? Is there something you want to tell me?" He sat back on the throne and pulled at the chain. His favourite toy crawled to him and he petted her blond head. Father couldn´t see Denton´s nod but it wasn´t really necessary.  
  
"Father, it must have been a spell. I can´t think of anything but her. You know me, Sire, this is not how I usually am. I am not myself."  
  
"You are right", Father took a sip from his cup. "There is a bond."  
  
Denton looked up and his Sire sighed. "This isn´t good. We must break the bond. I can´t have you distracted like that. Tell the witch to prepare everything. I want her to kill that woman for good." He threw the cup at him but Denton had already run outside. Father looked at the girl crawling on all fours. "My own little slayer...", grinning he pulled her between his legs and forced her to look into his face. Tears ran down her cheeks and she looked and smelled so gorgeous. His right hand grabbed her hair while his left caressed her face. "Don´t cry, little one. In a few years you will get used to it. - Now do your job." He puller her closer to his groin leaving no mistake what he wanted from her. There was no way out and she cried all the time.  
  
It took a few hours to prepare everything. But finally the fire was set up and all the ingredients gathered. Now they were sitting in the circle and the witch was humming and mumbling spells. Everything seemed to go well but then, Denton felt a strange warmth crawl through him. He opened his eyes and saw father staring in wonder at him. Denton raised his hands. They seemed to glow from within.  
  
"The bond..." Sophie whispered in awe.  
  
And then it hurt!  
  
Denton felt heat running through his veins as the witch spoke louder and louder. It started in his limbs and then the light slowly crawled up to his torso. He shivered and panicked! It crawled closer to his head and he tried to get it off. OFF The heat crawled closer and closer to his chest. He felt it, felt her. And suddenly Denton knew it was her heat he felt. To share one life and death. He groaned. He heard her scream in his head. Felt how the witches spell forced that soul of hers to leave her body. It was her agony he felt. Her body fought to keep itself alive, trying to resist that awful spell. Trying to keep its soul. But she wasn´t strong enough. She would die! To share one life and death! Her words invaded his mind. TO SHARE ONE LIFE AND DEATH!!  
  
Realisation hit him. With a final effort Denton shouted and kicked the witch out of the circle.  
  
The glow and the pain disappeared in an instand.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing, Childe?!" Father shouted kneeling on top of the younger one.  
  
"We can´t kill her..." Denton panted. He tried to protect his face from the Master´s blows.  
  
"He is right, Sire." The witch crawled closer. "This is a bond of blood and her free will. They share lives now. If we kill her, we also kill him." "Fucking hell!! – No, this can´t be true." Father kicked his heavy boot into Denton´s side. "That´s for the mess you created."  
  
Sophie tried to calm the situation. "I thought slayers were supposed to slay not cast spells. – So, what are we supposed to do now?"  
  
They remained quiet for a while.  
  
"This situation is really fucked up. We cannot kill her – otherwise Denton is dust, too. – But what happens if other vampires or demons get her? She is a slayer. She will be a likely target..."  
  
"...And nobody there to protect her. The watchers seemed to be dead or can´t deal with this mass of them." Denton paled under his white skin even more. "She will be dead in no time!"  
  
Father threw himself on his throne. "Well, we seem to have only one option. Bring her here and watch her yourself."  
  
"But we must find a way to break this spell soon. She is mortal after all. Even if we imprison her and look after her, she will have about fifty or sixty year at the most."  
  
"And then I will die, too." Denton whispered.  
  
"Not necessarily," the witch said. "I think this spell goes into both directions..."  
  
"Which means that..."  
  
"The spell somehow joined them. They are no longer two beings. With every day passing the spell forges them together. Even now it might be too late to separate them. But I will only know for sure, if I see her face to face."  
  
Father´s face hardened. He gave Denton a look that made him jump. "Get her!"  
  
Chapter 5: The choice  
  
AGONY!!!!  
  
She woke up screaming. Incredible pain flooded her. She couldn´t move, couldn´t breathe. A claw seemed to grip her, seemed to strangle her and tear life out of her. And then she could feel it take hold of her soul. Nothing had ever hurt like this. It pulled at her and tried to rip it out of her body – and there was nothing she could do. She fought an invisible force. Panic shook her when the claw pulled stronger. The soul left. She could feel it leaving her body and instinctively she knew she wouldn´t survive without it. This was the end! After all that had happened she was going to die like this.  
  
And then there was blackness around her.  
  
She woke up gradually, noticing the rough material under her fingers first. The sound of people talking entered her mind and suddenly she was conscious.  
  
She was lying in a hospital room. A mask on her face provided her body with oxygen. She noticed several bottles of god knew what connected to her arms and hands. Shouldn´t she be dead? Obviously she wasn´t. She doubted heaven would look like a hospital room. Maybe this was hell, then? No, she felt much too alive for that. So, this was the second time she had escaped death caused by something unnatural.  
  
"Lucky me," she thought. "But why the hell are trying to kill me anyway?!"  
  
This time the doctors didn´t let her go that quickly. Even though her body seemed healthy, it was pretty obvious that her mind wasn´t. There was no night, that didn´t pass without her screaming in her dreams. After a few days the doctors began to give her heavy sedatives just to enable her to sleep for a few hours. But nothing seemed to help. Her demons continued to haunt her.  
  
As healthy as she had looked in the beginning, she felt weak after a few days. The sedatives made her sleepy but every time she closed her eyes she saw his face. His yellow eyes were staring at her, looking into her soul. But the worst was his smile. So full of himself, knowing that he was much stronger, knowing he would get whatever he wanted. One night she woke up, her pyjamas drenched again by her own sweat, a cool hand soothed her skin and instantly she felt safe and her pulse calmed. With a smile she opened her eyes and looked into those yellow eyes that haunted her dreams. Before she could scream the cold hand lay on her mouth. All she could do now was whimper.  
  
"This poison will kill you, girl." She looked up at him again and this time the horrible eyes were gone and a man was there instead. "I´ll take you with me." She tried to escape his grip but he was much stronger. "Do you come willingly?" Her struggles answered his question. "Fine with me," he said and placed a cloth over her mouth and nose, forcing her to breathe the chloroform.  
  
When she woke up next things were different, strange. Through the fog that surrounded her she realised she was lying on a very hard surface. Her body ached and the pain helped her to fully wake up. The hospital room was gone and the horrible eyes weren´t there either. Instead she found herself in a dark room, barely lit by candles. When her eyes got more used to the darkness she noticed that this was more a cave than a room. There were no bricks in the walls just pure stone. She had to be underground. Plus, she was cuffed – with a silk scarf. Fortunately, her feet were free. There was nobody around, it seemed. She could hear voices but they weren´t very close - she really didn´t want to get to know the owners!! Those horrible eyes came back to her mind. That couldn´t have been a dream!! Who would have kidnapped her out of a hospital. Must get away! NOW´ Adrenalin was pumped through her veins. She spotted another tunnel, very close. It looked dark but wonderfully empty and a little voice told her that this was a chance – maybe her only one - to escape. Yes, she could do that! Definitely yes!! She came to her feet. One more look around and she ran - and bumped into a wall. She fell on her back. Her head hurt awfully.  
  
She could hear a little laugh. It didn´t sound evil, more amused by her little accident. Still, nobody seemed to be with her. Slowly she came to her knees. Damn, how could there be a wall?! She couldn´t see any! Carefully her fingers searched the air in front of her for invisible dangers. There it was! A barrier, hard as stone right there in front of her, but she still couldn´t see it. Cursing, she felt left and right and when she turned around he was there, standing no more than 10 feet away from her. She was trapped. All energy left her body and she could only stand there and look at his face. He was a giant, nearly seven feet tall and well built. Long dark hair framed his white face, a young face. It didn´t really look hostile without the glowing eyes.  
  
"This barrier is held up by magic. You can neither get through it nor destroy it," he explained.  
  
Finally she found her voice again. "Who are you?"  
  
Again she heard the amused laugh. A man – even younger than the one in front of her - emerged from the shadows. "I think you really want to know is what we are, don´t you, child?"  
  
Being addressed as child was the least disturbing feeling she had about this man. He seemed about twenty years old at the most and extraordinary handsome. His long blond hair touched his thighs. Like the older guy next to him he was thin but his appearance radiated power. She had never seen somebody so young yet so sure of himself. Both men wore leather pants and boots. The blonde had no shirt but a long green robe with gold stitchings. The dark man wore a chain mail. Strange cloths.  
  
"What do you want? – Where am I?"  
  
"You are in my lair – your new home by the way. And what I want is you."  
  
Father felt her fear rising again. She stepped back until she hit the barrier.  
  
"You see, girl, my childe here is deeply concerned about the little spell you cast the first time you two met. We would like to get rid of it."  
  
He felt how confused she was. "What spell..."  
  
Denton and Father looked at each other. "Don´t you remember the words you said when I bit you?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"That´s very unfortunate. We have to find a way to get it out of your head, child. You won´t appreciate most of the means I´m afraid."  
  
"I don´t know what you are talking about!" She nearly cried with panic now.  
  
"Sire, I think she speaks the truth. I can feel it."  
  
"Do you really think so, Denton? - You find yourself in an interesting situation, girl. It seems that you have bound yourself to my childe. Do you know what that means, girl?"  
  
She shook her head horrified.  
  
"It means that he is your master now. You are his, body and soul, until you die. As long as we haven´t found a way to remove it – and without your help it will be extremely difficult to accomplish the task – the spell binds you to Denton and he can do with you whatever he desires."  
  
Denton growled with pleasure when he saw how she tried to get away. Her heart was racing. She was afraid but he could also smell a small hint of stubbornness. "She is special, Father. Breaking her will be fun."  
  
"Have your fun then. But don't get carried away. I don´t want to lose you because you forget the bond." Father smiled a last time at the woman and left.  
  
Denton remained quiet for a while. His demon revelled in her fear. She didn´t know what was coming yet, but she was dreading a lot – but not half as much as he intended to do.  
  
"From now on, you are mine. I own you, your body, your soul and your thoughts. You are my slave. Do you understand, girl?"  
  
She didn´t answer at once. Just stared at him in pure disbelieve. "Who are you?"  
  
"I am your master. You will address me as such."  
  
"I won´t...."  
  
"You will only talk when I give you permission to do so. – This is the sign of your status as my slave." He took a leather collar out of his pocket. "Put it around your neck." He tossed it into her hands. She caught it by reflex. "When you put it on, you become a member of this clan. Being a slave, you will be the lowest member of course. But I will protect you and take care of you."  
  
She raised the collar and looked at it.  
  
"It also means that you freely give up yourself. You will be mine until I let you go." Which will happen when hell freezes over he added in his thoughts.  
  
But his words had been enough for her to decide anyway. The collar dropped to her feet. "I will never put it on."  
  
Denton smirked. "We will see, "he said and left her alone.  
  
Chapter 6: Slave  
  
This time she hardly recognized the men training. The thirst was driving her insane. She would sell her soul for some water. Sell herself – even take the collar. If only he would ask again... But he hadn´t spoken to her for a long while. What if he wouldn´t come again? If he just let her die? Tears rolled down her cheek unnoticed.  
  
When she woke up again it was very quiet around her. There was no sound but she knew she wasn´t alone. She raised her head with an effort to look around and froze. They were here. All of them!  
  
The vampires had surrounded her little invisible cage and were staring down at her. None of them spoke a word. The young blonde guy was sitting in front of her, holding bottle in his hand. The tall man stood just beside him, also watching her with cold eyes.  
  
Denton saw and smelled her fear. She knew something was going on. How she would have liked to crawl away but she was so weak. Even if the barrier hadn´t been there she would not have been able to run. She could hardly raise her head. Through the bond he could also feel her thirst. She was very close to the edge now, nearly crazy with despair. It was just the right time. Tonight she wouldn´t say no. She would take his collar and bow – if she had any sense in her left, anyway.  
  
She could see a little smile on his face. One more tear dropped on the floor. He already knew. He knew that she would have to say yes tonight. That she would become his slave, body, soul and mind. Unconsciously, she looked at the girl kneeling next to father. The blonde from the discotheque bowed at his feet. Eyes downcast, hands on her back, forehead touching his leg she waited for his orders. She had seen what kind of orders she was given and what happened if the girl didn´t obey quick enough.  
  
The tall man – Denton - stepped closer. She could feel his presence. He was so satisfied with himself. She could nearly hear his thoughts: Finally a slayer just for my.´ He stopped just two feet in front of her. She couldn´t raise her head that much. The small moves had already used up her energy. She just put her head down and waited.  
  
Denton smiled – so very obedient today. He bend his knees and touched her hair. Of course it was filthy. She hadn´t been given the opportunity to wash the whole week. She was filthy and reeking of shit, piss and fear. He admitted the last smell was actually delicious.  
  
"Girl." He slightly shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes again and saw the glass of water right in front of her face. A small cry escaped her throat and a hand tried to grab the glass. Denton pulled the glass away. "Sit if you want it."  
  
It was a struggle to get on her knees but finally she made it, wondering where she found the strength to do so. There it was! The water was right in front of her face and she grabbed it. It ran down her throat like gold and she cried with the sensation. Then it was gone – the glass was empty. Unbelieving, she stared at it. Her eyes filled with tears of need. "Please." She begged still staring at the glass. A hand reached under her chin and pulled it up slightly. She had to look into his face now.  
  
"Do you want more, girl?"  
  
She nearly cried out. "Yes, please. More water."  
  
"You will get more water. But there is something you must do first." He pulled out the collar and put it on the floor, right in front of her. For a moment she closed her eyes. Then she looked at the blond girl next to the master of the lair. She was wearing the same collar. This was going to be her destiny? Abused, raped and probably finally killed. She looked around. There were only them, vampires and more slaves, no saviour there. No hope. Tears were flowing down now and one of her hands reached out for the collar.  
  
Denton watched her smiling. Humans were so predictable. Granted, for a moment he had expected she would fight again but her spirit seemed to be broken for the moment.  
  
He watched her attempts to open the collar. So weak. Again, she didn´t show any signs of being a slayer. Her movements became desperate when she wasn´t able to handle the thick leather. He heard her sobs and growled. She was pathetic! Finally he lost patience and took it out of her hand. There was no way she could perform the ritual by herself. Maybe he had waited too long after all.  
  
A nod from father was all he needed. There were other possibilities to finish this. All she had to do was give herself willingly. So Denton held the collar open and right in front of her face.  
  
"Girl, do you give yourself to me?"  
  
Obviously he waited for an answer, so she whispered "Yes."  
  
"Will you give your life to me? Will you in confidence submit yourself to my headship, obeying me, caring for me and ever seeking to please me?"  
  
Again a very quiet yes, but a yes none the less.  
  
"Do you pledge your life to me as an obedient and faithful servant?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Three times the same answer – the magic number. Spell was confirmed. He finally had her.  
  
She closed her eyes when she felt the leather on her throat. He pulled her hair up and with practised hands closed the collar around her neck.  
  
"I accept thee as my slave." He fulfilled the ritual and stood.  
  
"I accept her as a slave and as such a member of my clan." Father raised from his chair and the clan bowed. "Serve well and be rewarded, girl, or fail and be punished. You´d better learn the ways of vampires quickly."  
  
Chapter 7: The training begins  
  
The assembly seemed to be over. Vampires and slaves left the cave, but she hardly noticed. All she was aware of were the heavy black boots in front of her. She didn´t dare to look up but she could feel his eyes on her. Since she didn´t know what he expected her do to she decided to simply wait.  
  
He knew she was still very thirsty and finally he took pity on her. He bent his knees again and forced her chin up but she closed her eyes, unwilling to face the horror in front of her.  
  
"Look at me!" he growled and slightly shook her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and he smelt another wave of fear. "As much as I enjoy you all frightened, girl, but you should obey."  
  
Reluctantly she opened them, forcing herself to look into his face. She was astonished to see a small smile around his lips and eyes. He looked so very normal! "That´s much better. – Now, girl, tell me. Who do you belong to?"  
  
She tried to deny it but with the collar around her neck where was the point. "You." She could hardly speak with his big hand on her chin.  
  
"That´s right. This is the most important rule you must learn. You are mine. It implies that you do what I tell you the second I tell you. – And you do only what I tell you. Do you understand, girl?"  
  
"My name is..." His grip tightened again.  
  
"You don´t have a name, girl. The person you once were vanished the moment you accepted my collar. You are nobody until your masters will give you a name..."  
  
Again she closed her eyes and he growled at her. "There is no way out of it now. You agreed and now you have a deal with a devil." A devil indeed - he chuckled at his own little joke.  
  
Tears flowed down her cheeks but he just laughed at her. "It´s your own fault, you know. You could be dead – in heaven if you believe in that kind of stuff – but you had to cast that stupid spell! You must have realized that I wouldn´t enjoy that. Being bound to a human is a very annoying thing for a demon and I intend to pay you back." His smile was really cruel.  
  
"Right then. Your training starts today but before we can begin we have to sort you out, slave. You are reeking – in case you haven´t noticed." He let her chin go. "Lose those clothes."  
  
She stared at him in disbelieve. He wanted to give her water – he had promised it!  
  
Denton felt her torment. He smiled at her, holding that bottle of water just out of her reach. "You want some, don´t you?"  
  
She nearly cried with despair. "Yes!"  
  
"Then take off your clothes, slave."  
  
When she still didn´t move, he hit her hard in the face, sending her to the floor. "Don´t make me wait, girl. That´s rule number two." Oh, that lovely smell of fear again... He enjoyed every second.  
  
Picking herself up from the floor, she slowly started to take off her pyjamas – the last remnants of her previous live. Finally, she was naked. The clothes lying in a heap in front of her. She tried to cover herself with her hands and she didn´t dare to look in his face but again she could feel the tension rising. Again he grabbed her hair forcefully and of course her first reaction was to get hold of his hands, to diminish the pain. That in turn revealed her body to him. He took a good look, taking in her body, her curves. She shivered.  
  
"Very nice, girl. I like what I see." He let her hair go. "That wasn´t so difficult, was it?" He poured her some water and put the glass in front of her on the floor. She looked at him, disbelieving. "That´s the way it works here, girl. You behave: you get a reward. You make a mistake and you get punished. – Drink. We have some more things to do tonight."  
  
When the glass was empty she put it back on the floor unwilling to touch him. She still felt weak but definitely better than before. After a moment she looked at him. What else would he want her to do?  
  
She didn´t see his hand coming but the impact was enough to send her on the floor again.  
  
"Rule number three: If you wait for my next order you do not look around like that. You assume the waiting position."  
  
He grabbed her hair and forced her back on her knees. She tried to fight off his hand but the grip only tightened. "And you do not fight me! You won´t even touch me if I don´t tell you so. Do you understand?"  
  
She cried out. "Yes."  
  
"Then do it! Let go of my hand. – Good. I´m not intending to hurt you - yet. I just need to teach you the basic rules of behaviour for now."  
  
He waited until her fists reached her hips. "Open your hands and put them on your legs, palms up. Good. Now raise. You are not allowed to sit – and open your legs a little further. That´s it." He let go of her head. "Bow, girl. You are nobody in this clan so you don´t just raise your head. Eyes downcast. - Yes, that´s the waiting position. Such an obedient little slayer."  
  
He pulled something out of his pocket – a small chain - and hooked it to her collar.  
  
"Come. We will get you cleaned up now." A slight tug on the chain and she raised to her feet. He still towered over her. He wouldn´t have a problem putting his head on hers - and she usually wasn´t considered a small woman either. Damn, that guy was huge!  
  
"Now, while we walk, you will stay behind me. The chain will always be slightly bent. Your head is bowed, your hands are behind your back."  
  
He waited a moment until she did as he ordered. "Good. Now we can go and clean you up. Take your clothes, girl."  
  
He lead her to another cave. It was much smaller than the one before. Even though she didn´t dare to loo up much she saw a bench covered with animal hides. Fortunately, he led her to a different corner. They stopped in front of a bucket of water. A piece of soap was lying next to it.  
  
"Get yourself cleaned up. When you are done you will get some more water – to drink."  
  
With these words he locked the chain to a hook in the floor. "You are not allowed to touch the chain. When you are done you will wait for my next orders."  
  
He turned around, obviously starting to work on the large weaponry that partly hang from the wall. She sighed silently and she began to cover her face with water. Unconsciously she took a handful into her mouth and swallowed. Nice, cool water ran down her throat and she took another mouthful – and spit it out because a heavy blow hit her back. She regained conscious lying on the floor. He towered over her glaring at her face. What the hell did she do wrong? He really looked angry.  
  
"Girl, what did I tell you?"  
  
"You told me to wash myself."  
  
"What did I promise to you if you were a good slave?"  
  
"You promised me some more water to drink." – Oh shit! She had swallowed the water. She wasn´t supposed to swallow this water! Damn!  
  
"I do you remember that I ordered you to do exactly as you are told? – Well, since you seem to be a slow learner you need some help to remember."  
  
Questioning eyes. – How beautiful. Such an innocence – didn´t know anything about punishment. Well, she would learn about that as well.  
  
"Assume the position."  
  
She moved as fast as she could. Very good.  
  
"Since you are so very knew to your status I grant you the choice of your punishment. – You will get either nothing to drink for as long as I choose – or you get the this." He put two items in front of her: An empty glass and a riding-crop.  
  
"You don´t have to choose right now. Get yourself cleaned up first. I will ask you again afterwards."  
  
Ah, this lovely smell of hers. Lovely fear. He had hardly started breaking her and he already loved working her.  
  
"By the way, I want you to clean all your parts. I like clean slaves." 


End file.
